According to Theresa
by Becky Sky
Summary: Third installment of "According To..." series: Theresa and the others are at the beach while Arch and Atlanta are grounded. But their holiday is interrupted by Ceto,a sea monster that Cronus has brought back from the time of the great hero Perseus himself


According to Theresa

**A/n: The third instalment of my "According to…" series, in Theresa's POV. The song is "Who I Am" by Jessica Andrews. Enjoy, and please review! Luv, Becky**

If I live to be a hundred  
And never see the seven wonders  
Thatll be alright  
If I dont make it to the big leagues  
If I never win a grammy  
Im gonna be just fine  
cause I know exactly who I am

I smile as the wind whistles through my hair, caressing my cheeks and splashing water into my face. The sun is high overhead, and the sky is a light, merry blue. Jay's teaching me how to sail, and so far I've done pretty well. We're just stopping to rest and let the wind propel us forward.

Meanwhile, on the beach, Herry and Odie are burying Neil in the sand, and I can hear him talking non stop about how this is supposedly good for skin. I don't know what magazine he read that in, but I do know that he better shut up soon or else Herry and Odie may be tempted to leave him in there for good.

"What a beautiful day," I sigh happily, and glance over to see what Jay is doing. I've had a crush on him ever since I saw him. His chocolate eyes trapped me; and his leadership is something to admire, although he has more than a few annoying traits.

"Huh?" Jay snaps out of his reverie, probably musing about Cronus. This is one of those horrid traits of his. No matter how much we're supposed to relax, he always finds something to worry about.

"Jay, we're here to sail, NOT to think about Cronus," I remind him. Again.

He smiles reluctantly at me, and my heart starts beating faster. I grin back and turn my gaze back out to sea.

I am rosemarys granddaughter  
The spitting image of my father  
And when the day is done  
My mommas still my biggest fan  
Sometimes Im clueless and Im clumsy  
But Ive got friends that love me  
And they know just where I stand  
Its all a part of me  
And thats who I am

"Theresa, do you think he'll attack again soon?" He decides to pester me.

Trying to hold back a groan of exasperation, I answer, "I'll use my powers and try to sense ahead for you, if you really want."

He nods. "Thanks."

I shake my head, but close my eyes and concentrate hard. "I see something!" I exclaim.

"What?" Jay leans forward so far that the boat wobbles precariously.

I open my eyes. "I see… a big worrywart!"

He looks surprised, and I laugh, pushing him off the boat. "Now try relaxing for once!" I call as he sputters and coughs, legs and arms thrashing.

I snort, trying to keep in my laughter, but it comes bursting forth like a bubbling fountain. My giggles echo out over the water, and Herry, Odie, and Neil glance out our way.

"Need help there Jay?" I hear Neil call.

"Nope, I'm fine, thanks!" Jay shouts back, earning him a roll of the eyes from me.

Herry and Odie go back to creating a sandcastle across Neil's now fully covered stomach as Jay clambers back onto the boat.

He advances towards me, and knowing what he is about to do, I save him the trouble, turning and diving off the boat. Holding my breath as the water closes over my head, I open my eyes to see tiny colourful fish swimming around my legs. Then I nearly scream and choke when I notice a dark shape rushing towards me. I struggle up to the surface and break forth into the air, gasping.

"Jay!" I cry. "Something's coming!"

So when I make a big mistake  
When I fall flat on my face  
I know Ill be alright  
Should my tender heart be broken  
I will cry those teardrops knowin  
I will be just fine  
cause nothin changes who I am

If he were someone else, he would think I'm joking, but he manoeuvres the boat towards me, but not before the thing rises out of the sea. We both stare way up, gaping, full of dread and astonished as a great black monster appears before us.

The force of its ascension sends waves to toss the boat around, and I nearly drown as a bout of water rolls over my head, forcing me under.

I break the surface once more, kicking and gasping. "What is it?" I yell.

Jay's horrified look confirms what I already know: something bad.

"Ceto!" he cries.

Who?

"Who's that?"

"The monster Andromeda was sacrificed to before Perseus rescued her!"

Oh man. That's just great. A man-eating sea monster, and I just happen to be in the water. I turn towards the shore, where Herry and Odie have noticed our predicament.

Herry's running off somewhere, and Odie is looking at us, searching for a safe way to come nearer.

Ceto turns towards me, its eyes red and teeth shining in its drooling mouth. A bit of slobber falls on my head and it takes everything I have not to puke. This is disgusting.

I start to swim towards Jay when I feel a slimy tail wrapping around my waist and launching me into the air.

"Jay!" I scream as I struggle to loosen Ceto's clutches.

I turn about desperately. People on shore are hurrying towards safety, shrieking, while Odie and Herry are motoring towards us, their faces set with grim determination.

"May my luck be with you!" Neil calls from where he's stuck in the sand.

I don't know what we're going to fight with, and suddenly I wish that Atlanta and Archie were here, but they'd been grounded by Athena. They don't know what they're missing.

Jay's closer to Ceto now, and he's trying to guide the boat nearer to me, but Ceto is keeping him preoccupied, sending sea billows to sway the boat into nearly tipping. I'm going to have to get out on my own. Ending up as someone's lunch was not on my list of things to do today.

There's only one way to get out, no matter how disgusting it is: chew my way through. I shift into position and bite Ceto, HARD. A blood curdling screech resounds, and shivers crawl up my skin. Her grip on me slackens, and I slip through to fall into the sea. I come up coughing. I'd swallowed sea water, and I'm trying not to choke to death.

I twist around to search for a place to go when I'm grabbed from behind. Thinking it's Ceto trying to eat me, I jerk and whip about.

"Whoa, calm down there, Theresa," Herry says. I'm so relieved to hear his voice I could kiss him, but considering that I don't like him like that that would be just gross.

He deposits me behind Odie on the sea bike and we rush to Jay, who's still trying to control the sailboat.

"Bail!" we scream at him just as Ceto brings her tail down to smash it to pieces. We watch worriedly until his face bobs up from the waves. We grin and help him onto the sea vehicle, and he wraps his arms around my waist to hold on. My face is heating up, and my heart beating rapidly, but I try to remain casual. But we're all relieved that we're safe- for now.

"What are we going to do now?" Herry asks, and we all look at Odie. His brow furrows thoughtfully. "Anyone have a sword?" he asks hopefully. Then we all glance at Jay, who flushes and nods.

"I always have it with me."

"Up your sleeve," I point out. He grins and shrugs. "At least we have something." He's got a point there.

"Someone's going to have to get in the water and sacrifice themselves for a little while." Odie's words make me look up, alarmed.

"What?" Then when I feel Jay shifting behind me, I grow even more distressed.

"I'll go," I blurt before Jay can. His grip on my waist tightens so much I can scarcely breathe.

"No way," he mutters. "This is crazy."

I glare back at him sharply. "Why? I'm a hero too you know!"

I am rosemarys granddaughter  
The spitting image of my father  
And when the day is done  
My mommas still my biggest fan  
Sometimes Im clueless and Im clumsy  
But Ive got friends that love me  
And they know just where I stand  
Its all a part of me  
And thats who I am

He sighs, and let's me go. "Here," he says, handing me his sword. But not before our hands brush each other's. A tingle rushes through my body. I smile quickly and take it in my hands. It's light in my grip and shines in the sunlight.

"I'm ready," I say, sounding braver than I feel. The boys are looking worriedly at me, but before they can ask me if I'm sure, I ask, "So how exactly am I going to kill it?"

"Throw the sword inside of her."

"Oh yeah, a tiny sword like this will take down a huge monster like her," I say sarcastically.

"It's our only hope," Odie states. But then realization dawns on him, and he snaps his fingers. "Call on Poseidon for help! He is your like, great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather times ten, right?"

I roll my eyes, but nod. "Then ask," he urges. I close my eyes and cry inwardly to Poseidon for help using my telepathic abilities.

Then I jump off the sea bike and start swimming towards the monster as Jay and the others watch. I'm close enough to be eaten without them being able to save me when suddenly Poseidon appears, handling his triton with expertise. Light erupts, swallowing the monster and sending me flying backwards from its energy.

Then he disappears with his captive, but not before giving us teens a nod of recognition.

I swim back to Jay, Herry, and Odie, where I climb back onto the vehicle, wrapping my shivering arms around Jay's waist as we head back towards the shore, my long red hair whipping in the wind as it dries.

"Gee, am I ever glad to have you guys," I whisper. Without them, I'd be dead.

Im a saint and Im a sinner  
Im a loser, Im a winner  
Im steady and unstable  
Im young but I am able

I am rosemarys granddaughter  
The spitting image of my father  
And when the day is done  
My mommas still my biggest fan  
Sometimes Im clueless and Im clumsy  
But Ive got friends that love me  
And they know where I stand  
Its all a part of me  
And thats who I am

"We're glad to have you too, Theresa," Jay replies.

When we arrive back on the beach, Jay and I stumble around like drunks, our time on the water affecting our "land legs". I hand him back his sword, but he shakes his head.

"Keep it," he says. "You never know when it'll come in handy." I nod, and casually let it slide shut, but inside I'm touched. We head over to help Odie and Herry dig Neil out of the sand.

"Aww, I forgot to put on sun block!" Neil exclaims. "Now I have sun burn!"

"You poor thing," I reply sarcastically. "I nearly got eaten by a sea monster, and you don't see me complaining! Now be a big boy and SUCK IT UP!"

Jay and Odie and Herry burst out laughing, while Neil pouts to be the victim of their amusement. I just grin and ruffle Neil's hair good-naturedly.

"Who wants to be buried next?" I ask, and Neil points at Herry. "Him."

We all laugh and Herry willingly agrees, and so the four of us, including Neil, start to pour sand on top of him. Then Neil makes the mistake of throwing sand at me. Annoyed, I throw sand back in his face, and, blinded, he tries to aim some at my hair, but ends up getting it on Jay instead. Soon we're in full fledged battle, flinging sand everywhere, and ducking to avoid it.

I chuckle as Neil emits a high-pitched girly scream, sending the nearby gulls jumping into the air, taking off for someplace safer. I chuck sand at Jay, who avoids it, and sends some flying at me. I gasp as it hits me in the face, and suddenly I'm spitting out sand and declaring my revenge. I run and tackle him to the ground, setting my foot on his chest and asking if anyone else wants to mess with me.

The others pass on the offer and soon we're packing up to head back to the brownstone.

Herry, Odie, and Neil pack into the front of the truck while Jay and I sit in the back with all the equipment.

As we roll out of the parking lot, I notice Jay is staring out the window, quiet and thoughtful.

"What a day," I comment, trying to strike up a conversation. "Hmm," is all he says.

"I wonder what Atlanta and Archie did while we were gone," I ask aloud, and Herry, Odie and Neil fill my ears with every sort of imaginable (and unimaginable) thing they could have done. But Jay doesn't say a word.

When we arrive back at the dorm, Archie meets us at the door, his face tired and dirty.

"What were you doing?" Odie asks.

Atlanta appears behind Archie, cloth in her hand, and cranky and smudged with dirt. "Cleaning."

"Yikes." Neil sums up all our thoughts in a single word.

As I'm putting Jay's sword away with the rest of my special weapons in my armoury closet in my room, he appears in the doorway. "Sorry I seemed really anti-social on the way home," he apologizes.

"That's okay. I know you usually have a lot on your mind." I'm feeling nice today so I don't nag him.

He nods and approaches me, watching as I hang his retractable sword beside my nun chucks.

"You never know when it comes in handy," I say cheerfully. He grins, pleased I like his gift.

"Anyways, I'm glad you're okay, and well, alive," he rushes, and then before I can say anything, he leans over and kisses my cheek. A tiny thrill courses through my veins, and suddenly he's gone, hurrying out the door. I smile and stroke that warm spot on my cheek, which feels pleasant to the touch.

Tonight when I go to bed, I place the sword on my bedside table, letting it remind me of my friends, who are always here for me, through thick and thin, and of one friend in particular.

I am rosemarys granddaughter  
The spitting image of my father  
And when the day is done  
My mommas still my biggest fan  
Sometimes Im clueless and Im clumsy  
But Ive got friends that love me  
And they know where I stand  
Its all a part of me  
And thats who I am  
Thats who I am

And it helps me to remember that I'm a hero too, just like Jay, Atlanta, Herry, Odie, Archie, and Neil, my friends, and my lifelines. Literally.


End file.
